A liquid-fluidized bed was used to separate a pure material from a mixture. A quantity of relatively large sized material was immersed in an inert-particle fluidized bed and the behavior of materials was examined for different liquid velocities. In particular, the volume fraction of the material was varied and its effect on the separation characteristics was examined. The material floats on the inert-particle fluidized bed when the density of the material is lower than the apparent density of the bed, regardless of the volume fraction of the material. The apparent density of the bed can be adjusted by changing the liquid velocity. The materials in the upper portion of the bed affect the properties of the bed below them, i.e., the void fraction decreases and the apparent density increases in the inert-particle suspension when materials are present in the upper portion of the bed. Therefore, the materials float on the bed although the apparent density of the inert-particle suspension obtained from the case without material is less than the density of the material at a relatively high volume fraction of material. This phenomenon occurs more easily for lighter and smaller materials. This means that small inert particles and low liquid velocities are the optimum operating conditions for the separation.
A liquid-fluidized bed of inert particles was used to separate a pure object from a mixture. One (binary solid-liquid-fluidized bed) or two (tertiary solid-liquidfluidized bed) types of objects with relatively large-sized particles were immersed in an inert-particle bed, and the bed behavior was observed for different liquid velocities. The void fraction and apparent density of the inert-particle suspension were predicted by considering the effect of the change in object position for different liquid velocities. The prediction method, which considers the change in the minimum fluidization velocity, accurately expressed the changes in the void fraction and the apparent density of the bed with the position of the objects in the bed. Using this method, the liquid velocity required to separate a certain kind of object from a mixture can be predicted.
A solid‐liquid fluidized bed of inert particles can be used to separate pure objects from a mixture. Pieces of plastic sheet were selected as the objects to be separated. To estimate the separation characteristics, the behavior of pieces of plastic sheet in the bed was examined experimentally. Slow stirring was used to improve the fluidization state of the bed. The object size and the volume ratio of objects to inert particles were varied. The use of stirring of the bed was effective in improving the fluidization state of the bed, and the objects, which sank in the bed without stirring, moved from the bottom to the upper portion of the bed at a certain liquid velocity. This liquid velocity increases with decreasing object size, and it also increases as the volume ratio of objects to inert particles in the bed increases. When the volume ratio of objects to inert particles is too high, the objects are distributed throughout the entire bed, regardless of the liquid velocity.
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